Personal bags with security features are desirable for carrying valuables on-the-go. At a minimum, a typical person in current times will carry a mobile phone, bank and credit cards, cash, and keys. While travelling, playing sports, or when attending outdoor venues such as a beach or park, one may be required to leave a bag containing such items unattended or out of view. Unattended bags are suitable targets for thieves, increasing the risk of valuables being lost or stolen.
A variety of bags with security features are known. The most common bags known contain some form of locking mechanism for the purpose of securing valuables within the bag. The principal weakness of such bags is their relative inability to deter theft of the entire bag and hence the valuables within. This weakness is due to the fact that known bags with security features are not equipped with a seamless locking system that allows a user to secure both a bag and a secured compartment containing valuables to a fixed object simultaneously.
For example, some bags are sold with modest sized locks to secure the external zippers, thereby protecting contents from unwanted removal. Other similar bags possess additional security features such as cut proof zippers or a durable slash-resistant outer shell or casing. These features render the bag more difficult to pierce, although the bag can still be compromised. The visibility of the locking mechanism on the bag's exterior also presents a single point of weakness in the bag's security. The prominent visibility of a lock alone signals that a bag likely contains valuables worth securing, attracting unwanted attention.
Portable containers or safes that can be secured to fixed objects are also known. These objects would enable users to carry their valuables on-the-go and to secure them to a fixed object such as a fence. A key weakness of portable safes is their visibility. Just as a lock signals that a bag is likely to contain valuables, the visibility of a safe may also attract similar attention. Further, should a user take caution to conceal the portable safe within a personal bag, known bags are not designed to seamlessly secure both the portable safe and the personal bag together and to a fixed object simultaneously.
Other known mobile safes may be used to store small valuables such as car keys, and such devices may be attached to the underside of a car and thereby hidden. However, they are not configured to also hold other commonly carried items such as mobile phones or cards. Such devices are also limited in terms of the object to which they may be attached, as they typically require a magnetic surface.
Therefore, there is a need for an anti-theft safe and associated bag, the safe having a locking mechanism that can easily secure an internal safe contained within the bag to virtually any fixed object.